Mechanisms and detection of bacteraemia.

1. This may be transient and of little clinical significance; for example, we all experience transient bacteraemia when brushing our teeth 2 . The consequences of bacteraemia may, however, be severe, leading to focal infection (osteomyelitis, endocarditis) or systemic illness (severe sepsis, shock and death) 3 . Thus, an appreciation of the mechanisms underlying bacteraemia is critical in understanding the pathogenesis of many infections.